Civil rights dissident Zhang Lin charged with assembling crowd to disturb order at public place

Saturday, August 24, 2013

China Aid Association
August 24, 2013

Zhang Anni holds a sign reading "Release my

father! I want to go to school!" outside of the

detention center in Benbu city.

Editor's note: China Aid previously shared a petition concerning the persecution of the Zhang family. The petition can be viewed at http://www.chinaaid.org/2013/03/hu-shigen-appeal-for-immediate-stop-of.html.
Zhang Lin, a civil rights dissident, was arrested on bogus charges of assembling a crowd to disturb order at a public place on Aug. 22, 2013. Zhang is being held in a detention center in the city of Bengbu, Anhui Province.

In April 2013, Zhang's daughter, Zhang Anni was kidnapped from her school in Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, and held for over three hours by the Public Security Bureau. Netizens from the whole country traveled to Hefei to support her. The police raided this gathering, detaining some of the citizens present. Additionally, Zhang and his daughter were relocated to Bengbu city. Three months later, the police accused Zhang of having organized this gathering.
On the evening of July 18, 2013, Zhang was placed under house arrest in a hotel by police. The following day, July 19, Zhang was arrested for assembling a crowd to disturb order at a public place. The police officially requested the right to arrest Zhang on Aug. 16. This request was approved on Aug. 22.

Yao Cheng, a netizen from Anhui province, who has remained concerned about Anni's school issues, revealed on Aug 22 that, after Zhang was detained, the government of Anhui Province forced Anni to go back to her school in Hefei where she suffered emotional trauma relating to the kidnapping. Cheng appealed to all individuals concerned about Anni to seek a school that would be good for her. "We need to find a school desk for Anni where she can stay without fear," Cheng said.